Texas Gov. Greg Abbott plans to pardon man convicted of killing BLM protester

Angel Saunders
Updated ·2 min read
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott
Texas Governor Greg Abbott
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sparked an investigation for expressing his desire to pardon a man who killed a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.

In 2021, a white Army sergeant and ride-share driver named Daniel Perry was charged for murder after shooting Garrett Foster. The protester, also a white man, was attending a BLM rally in Austin, Texas at the time of his death. Additional charges for Perry include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and deadly conduct for his behavior at the protest, CNN said today (April 10). His murder conviction came from a Travis County jury on Friday (April 7). The deadly conduct charge is still pending, but the jury found him not guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On Saturday (April 8), Abbott tweeted he was “working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry.” A screenshot attached to his message said the state “has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney. Unlike the president or some other states, the Texas constitution limits the governor‘s pardon authority to only act on a recommendation by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Texas law DOES allow the governor to request the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine if a person should be granted a pardon. I have made that request and instructed the board to expedite its review.” Abbott added, “I look forward to approving the board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk.”

Travis County District Attorney José Garza disagreed with Abbott’s statement, calling it “deeply troubling.” Garza added, “Make no mistake, without intervention from the governor, the defendant’s conviction would be reviewed by both state and federal courts who will examine the record to ensure that no legal errors were made at this level and that the evidence supported the conviction.” The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles confirmed the organization would “be commencing that investigation immediately.”

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